Marvel going day and date line wide by April 2012

Marvel is committing to making virtually all its comics available digitally day and date, accoridng to a story at Gizmodo.

The plan will roll out over the next six months, with “print and digital for nearly all comics will be same day release by April 2012″ according to Marvel’s Ryan Penagos on Twitter. The books will shift over as they reach new “jumping on points” meaning the roll-out will be staggered. However the adults only MAX line and licensed books, inclduing the Stephen King adaptations, will NOT go to the DaD system.

Although selected Marvel titles, like the Ultimate line, were available simultaneously, most of the line still lagged behind. However with DC, Image and selected books from most other big publisher day and date already, the tide is shifting quickly.

According to Gizmodo, Marvel is also looking to expand its controversial “digital download” program, which despite opposition from some retailers, they say has proven popular with readers. With this program, purchasers of a print comic get a code for a free digital download of the same comic. ‘

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Pretty stoked about this. It means I don’t have to go to my LCS once a week anymore. Been really enjoying getting my DC stuff on the iPad and I’m looking forward to getting my Marvel stuff. I’m a comic reader not a collector and I don’t reread comics so digital works great for me. Plus I have a 2 year old son time is at a premium at my house.

Buy the comic.
Download the digital copy.
Give/trade the comic to someone else.

I’ll ask the logical question:
Will Marvel do the same with their graphic novels? Buy the book, get a download code? A simultaneous e-book release with the paper edition, just like the “real publishers” are doing now on Amazon and BN.com?

Marvel’s “experiment” reminds me of Apple’s iTunes promotion with Mountain Dew. 1 in 6 bottle caps had a free download. It drove people to the website to try the site for free, and that’s when their traffic skyrocketed.

Hmmm… Marvel could do that with a movie tie-in. Specially marked bottles of Dr. Pepper or whatever. Or make the download the default prize in a bigger sweepstakes. Everyone wins, at least, a free digital download. Some win bigger prizes.

But first Marvel needs to build a storefront where people can buy single issues or bundles. There’s no “iTunes” store yet for comics.

Having both Marvel and DC fully digital will be interesting. Marvel surpassed DC in sales sometime in the late 60s/early 70s, thoroughly kicked DC’s ass through the 70s and 80s and maintained a smaller but still substantial sales lead as the industry moved completely into the DM. Digital dramatically expands the potential audience again and while Marvel and DC storytelling isn’t nearly as different as it once was, I think the Geoff Johns/Grant Morrison DC still has a tone and style that’s distinct from the “Marvel Architects”. Let’s see what happens when they shift back from fanboys to something more like the general public.